Railway truck



RAILWAY TRUCK 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 1, 1959 H. BLEIIBTREU Filed Feb. 25, 1954 H. BLEIBTREU RAILWAY TRUCK Dec. 1, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1954 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII lllllllll/lll lalllllllllllll I u u mmvrm WW WW H. BLEIBTREU Dec. 1, 1959 RAILWAY TRUCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 25, 1954 %\N Nvu IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent RAILWAY TRUCK Hermann Bleibtreu, Hinsdale, 111.

Application February 25, 1954, Serial No. 412,411

9 Claims. (Cl. 105-1971) The present invention relates to railway trucks, and,

more particularly, to improvements in four-wheel trucks for railway passenger cars.

The passenger car truck almost universally used in this country is one that employs a truck frame provided with pedestals for receiving therein the journal boxes, permitting limited longitudinal and lateral movement between the journal boxes and the pedestal linersJ For the purpose of rigidly relating the two journal boxes on each side of the truck, it has been conventional practice to employ equalizer bars in the form of heavy forgings. These equalizer bars tend to keep the axles fairly parallel to each other, but they do not keep the axles perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the truck. In such prior art arrangements, journal box or equalizer springs were also provided to support the truck framefrom the equalizer bars, and a second set of springs was conventionally emtween the pedestal parts permitted by the springs supporting the truck from the equalizer bars, additional wear occurs, so that the longitudinal play in the pedestal gradually increases. This is very objectionable for several reasons. replacement of worn pedestal linersj and, secondly, the wear which permits longitudinal play causes what is commonly known as shimmy, which is the result of lateral motion of the truck at high speeds. Such shimmy is quite diiferent from the well-known automobile shimmy. As the wear in the liner increases, shimmy increases, and this causes the wheel treadsto wear in an undesirable manner. The only remedy in such a situation is to replace the pedestal liners and regrind the wheel treads.

Lateral play in the heretofore commonly used pedestal supports for railway trucks is, of course, necessary to permit the axle the freedom of movement that must be occasioned due to different elevations of opposite track points. This lateral play causes jerks, as does longitudinal play, and it invites shimmy, since one wheel runs on a larger diameter than the other in the case of lateral displacement by virtue of the conventional shape of the tread of railroad truck wheels. This causes one wheel to move forward farther than the other, thus inviting shimmy, which effectively compels the individual axles to pivot about the center of the axle, first one wheel being ahead of where it should be, and the other being behind, and the position alternately changing, with very undesirable effects as far as smooth riding is concerned.

First of all, this wear requires frequent 2,915,021 Patented Dec. 1, 1959 Aside from the unsatisfactory ride occasioned by virtue of the play, both lateral and longitudinal, in the conventional pedestal support heretofore employed, the equalizer bars also introduce problems. First of all, they comprise expensive drop forgings, and their use inherently causes damage to rail joints due to the large unsprung masses involved. Furthermore, equalizer bars make the inner brake shoes inaccessible from the sides of the truck.

With conventional trucks heretofore used, a'problem results due to the use of both journal box or equalizer springs and bolster springs, with the heavy mass of the truck frame disposed between the springs. It is often possible for resonance to occur with such an arrangement, with the result that a very unsatisfactory ride occurs.

It would be desirable to eliminate the disadvantageous features of the conventional truck discussed above, and, hence, greatly to improve the ride of the passenger car. Specifically, it would be desirable .to completely eliminate the conventional truck pedestals and the conventional equalizers, and, instead, provide an arrangement which maintains lateral and longitudinal play at a minimum, so that replacement of parts and regrinding of treads of the wheels will be required at much less frequent intervals. It would, moreover, be desirable to provide a spring arrangement. which has a very satisfactory spring characteristic, both at light and heavy loads, so that good riding qualities are obtained under all conditions. It is, moreover, desirable to provide an arrangement in which bolster springs can be eliminated, so that no problem of resonance, as was mentioned above, can occur. Additionally, it is desirable to provide improved means for supporting the car body, and, essentially, the truck bolster from the truck frame.

"Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved railway car truck. 7 v

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved railway passenger truck wherein the disadvantages of prior art arrangements enumerated above are completely eliminated. i

It is a further object of the present invention to providean improved railway car truck which employs no pedestals or equalizers and yet wherein lateral and longitudinal movement is reduced and controlled in a manner so that such motion is not transmitted to the car body or is transmitted to a minimum extent.

'Another object of the present invention isjto provide new and improved means for controlling lateral play between the journal box and the truck body.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved spring arrangement which has characteristics insuring asoft ride both at light and heavy loads;

Still a further object of the present invention resides in an improved supporting means between a railway truck frame and a railwaytruck bolster.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed. out with particularly in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of arailway car truck looking in a direction perpendicular to. the longitudinal axis of the truck, embodying the present invention, with certain portions thereof cut away, and illustrating the relationship of the truck wheels to 'a section of railroad track;

Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. 1, with certain portions cut away and illustrating only one side of the truck, since the truck is symmetrical and both sides thereof are identical;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1, but showing only as much of Fig. 1 as is shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view. taken on line 5-5 of- Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of a portion of the device of Fig. 4 taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, illustrating a modification of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, similar to Fig. 7, showing another modification of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 with certain portions shown in section, illustrating still another modification of the present invention;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is a curve diagram to aid in understanding one aspect of the present invention.

The present invention is described as particularly adapted for railway passenger car trucks, but, obviously, many aspects of it are also applicable to freight trucks. Moreover, although several of the features are combined to provide an unusually soft riding truck, both at no load and at heavy loads, certainaspects by themselvesprovide advantageous results, and the present invention covers these aspects when used individually as well as in combination. Y

Considering specifically now Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, there is illustrated a truck frame 15 of a generally box'configuration, comprising a side frame portion 15a, end frame portions 151] and 15c, and a second side frame portion identical with 15a but not visible in the drawings. This truck frame may comprise a steel casting or it may be. fabricated. by welding together steel parts. In any event, a sturdy and completely rigid frame is provided. Each of the side frame sections of the truck frame 15 comprises a central portion including a bolster receiving opening 16. In order to accommodate the bolster receiving opening, the side section such as 15a may have a configuration such as that shown in Fig. l, which provides a depending portion which depends between the wheels associated with the truck, as will become apparent as the following description proceeds. From the sectional views of Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, it will be apparent that the truck frame 15comprises. hollow sections. The opening 16 is defined by a lower hollow sectionlSd, and an upper hollow section 152 interconnected by vertical sections 15 and 15g, respectively. Suitable connecting arms relate the portions 15d, 15e, 15 and 15g into a sort of truss arrangement which will provide the desired rigidity for carrying the load on the frame 15, which load is in turn transmitted through the frame tov the journal boxes and axles described hereinafter.

In accordance with the present invention, the truck frame 15 is not provided with the conventional pedestals for receiving the journal boxes. Instead, the truck frame 15 is supported directly on the journal boxes through suitable spring means described hereinafter.

Although the wheels and axles associated with the truck of the present invention are conventional and form no part of the present invention, they have been illustrated in the drawings. As there shown, each end of the truck frame is supported on a pair of conventional truck wheels 18, which have the somewhat cone-shaped tread and flange universally used by railroad cars in order properly to engage the roalroad rails, a portion of one rail being shown in the drawings and designated by the reference numeral 19. Each pair of truck wheels 18 engageable with the parallel disposed railroad track rails are interconnected by an axle. 20, sothateach pair of wheels are effectively integrally related. The ends of the axles 20 extending beyond the wheels 18 outside the track 19 are provided with any suitable form of bearing, and are illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings as comprising the well-known roller bearings 22. These roller bearings are disposed within the well-known journal box 23, which journal box is provided with a suitable cover 24 to provide a sealed journal housing for containing the necessary lubricant to insure a properly lubricated bearmg.

For the purpose of supporting the truck frame 15 from the plurality of journal boxes 23, there are provided for each corner of the box frame 15 a pair of somewhat T-shaped force transmitting members 27 and 28. The head of the T-shaped member 27, designated as 27a, is disposed in a generally horizontal position, while the stem of the T, designated by the reference numeral 27b, extending in a generally vertical position, is provided with arounded lower portion 271:, so as to be. received within a correspondingly shaped pocket 23a formed in journal box 23. Similarly, the T-shaped supporting member 28 is identical and is provided with a rounded lower portion receivable within a similar pocket 23b spaced from the pocket 23a associated with the support 27. Suitable integral flanges 23c are preferably formed on the journal box 23 to maintain the supports 27 and 28 in spaced apart relationship. The general configuration of the supports 27 and 28 can best be observed from Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings. It will be apparent that if the truck frame 15 is connected to the supports 27 and 28, it vwill be suitably supported by the wheels 18.

In order to support the truck frame 15 from the journal box 23 in a manner to prevent shocks from being transmitted from the rail section such as 19 to the frame 15, suitable compression springs 30 and 31 are provided, one pair associated with each corner of the truck frame 15. As illustrated, a suitable tension rod 32 is connected to each end of the horizontal portions of the supports 27 and 28, and, specifically, to the ends of sections 27a and 28:; thereof. As illustrated, the tension pins 32 are provided with an enlarged lug or head 33 at the upper end thereof, and a suitable bolt or other fastening means 34 intercom nects the supports 27 and 28 and the tension pins 32 in a manner to permit limited pivotal movement therebetween. Suitably secured to the lower ends of the tension pins 32 are spring retainers35, and, as is clearly apparent from Fig. 1 of the drawings, the compression springs 30 and 31 are interposed between the spring retainers 35 and suitable annular flanges 37 secured to the under side of the side sections 15a of the truck frame 15.- As illustrated, the supports 27 and 28 have the major portions thereof disposed within the enclosure defined by the boxlike frame section 15, and suitable openings 38, 39 and 40 are provided in this frame section to permit the tension rods 32' and the support comprising members 27 and 28 to extend outside such enclosure. With the described arrangement it will be apparent that any load applied in a downward direction to the frame 15 will tend to push downwardly on the upper end of the compression springs 30 and 31, and a force will be transmitted through the springs to the tension rods 32, which are supported directly on the journal box 23.

In order completely to eliminate any longitudinal play between the journal boxes 23 and the truck. frame 15, there is provided a pivotal arm 42, one associated with each journal box 23. Each pivotedv arm 42 is rigidly connected to the associated journal box 23 and pivoted to. the truck frame 15 by a suitable pivot pin 43. As specifically indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the. pivot arm 42 is preferably provided with a ring or eye 42a integrally formed with the arm 42, which may be secured to the journal box 23 by fastening means 44, also securing the cover 24 in place. As is best shown in Fig. 3, the. end of the journal box 23 adjacent'the cover 24 and the cover. 2.4 are defined so as to provide a .after.

suitable recess for receiving the annular ring portion or eye 42a of the pivot arm 42. The frame15 is preferably provided with a sort of clevis arrangement 46 for receiving the pivot pin 43. As best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, preferably rubber bushed bearings 47 are employed in the pivot arm 42 associated with the pivot pin 43. Four such pivot arms 42 are provided for each truck frame 15, and these pivot arms completely eliminate the pedestals and the pedestal wear associated therewith and yet control longitudinal play in a very satisfactory manner.

From the above description it will be appreciated that there has been provided a pedestalless truck in which longitudinal play is completely eliminated.For the purpose of controlling the lateral motion of the journal boxes relative to'the truck frame 15 and, hence, lateral motion of the frame 15, there is provided, as best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a thrust lever 48 suitably fulcrumed or pivoted to the truck frame 15 as by a pivot pin 49. It will be apparent that various track conditions will cause lateral movement of the wheels 18, and, consequently, of the journal box 23, and such movement must be properly controlled so as not to transmit shocks or jars to the truck frame 15, and, hence, to the car body.

As best shown in the drawings, the lever 48 is illustrated as having a single upper portion 48a and a bifurcated lower portion comprising bifurcations 48b and 48c. The upper portion 48a is designed to engage a suitable resilient member, which may be a self-damping spring 50, as

"shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, or as may take some form as discussed in the modifications disclosed herein- Preferably, the spring 50 comprises a conventional leaf spring including a plurality of superimposed leaves, with the ends suitably secured as by means 51 and 52 to the frame 15. Also, a suitable stop or shim such as 53, best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, may be provided to limit the maximum displacement of the lever 48 toward the frame 15. It will be appreciated that a leaf spring is a somewhat self-damping type of mechanism, since a considerable amount of energy is absorbed in the relative sliding movement'between the spring leaves.

The bifurcations 48b and 43c are designed to engage the cover 24 of the journal box 23 in order to transmit this force to the spring 50. Since vertical motion between the journal box ,23 and the frame 15 must be permitted, the bifurcations 48b and 48c are preferably of a sort of hollow configuration to accommodate suitable bearing means, for example, steel disks 54 which rollingly engage the cover 24, as is best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. With this arrangement it will be apparent that lateral motion of the journal box 23 at each of the four corners of the truck body '15 is controlled in a manner to reduce to a minimum the lateral forces transmitted from the wheels 18 and axles 20 to the truck frame 15. The thrust of the disks 54 against the journal box 23 through the cover 24 is very low at the normal position of the journal box 23, which might be considered its midposition, but the thrust increaseswith increasing lateral deviation in the direction toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Although the trust lever 48 is illustrated as being pivoted intermediate its ends, it obviously could also be pivoted at one end with a biasing force applied by means engaging an intermediate point thereon. This biasing means could be resilient means stressed either in tension or compression.

Instead of using the self-damping leaf springs 50 and the limit means 53, shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the modifications such as shown in Figs. 8 and 11 might equally well be employed. Obviously, a coiled compression spring or a tension spring might also be'employed to restrain lateral motion of the journal box 23, but in such case some damping means are preferably desirable, which damping means are inherent in the arrangement shown in Figs. 3, 8 and 11.

In order toprovide a spring characteristic which will 6 permit soft riding of the passenger car associated with the truck 15, both at no load and at full load, there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, what I prefer to term helper springs 56, one helper spring unit being associated with each corner of the truck frame 15. Suitably supported within the hollow frame 15, as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, are spring supports 57, one disposed adjacent each end of the helper springs 56. These spring supports are open at the bottom so as to define a downwardly directed chamber or recess therein for receiving the ends of the helper springs 56, which are leaf springs including a plurality of spring leaves. As illustrated, the helper springs 56 are arranged to parallel the coil springs 30 and 31, and to this end the central portion of the helper springs 56 is provided with a suitable force transmitting element 59 having a downwardly directed recess 60 therein for accommodating a force transmitting rod 61, the lowerend of which is disposed in a recess 62 defined at the upper side of the journal box 23. It will be apparent that the load of the truck frame 15 and anything supported thereby is transmitted to the spring supports 57 and thence through the helper springs 56 and the push rod or thrust rod 61 to the journal box 23.

In accordance with the present invention, the spring supports 57 have a bearing surface 57a of a curved configuration, clearly shown in Fig. 1, and also shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 9 of thedrawings, which employs the same spring supports 57. By means of this curved configuration 57a, the effective length of the helper springs 56 varies, and in fact decreases as the load increases. In Fig. 12 of the drawings there is illustrated a curve diagram in which the spring characteristic of the springs 30 and 31 is represented by the curve A. The spring characteristic of the helper springs 56 is represented by the curve B, and the resultant spring characteristic is represented by the curve C. With this arrangement the helper springs 56 provide for softer riding conditions at no load due to their greater effective length, and at full load they provide greater load carrying ability with less deflection, thus still insuring a soft ride at full load.

With the arrangement described thus far, lateral and longitudinal thrusts are completely taken care of without the use of pedestals, and a soft ride is assured without the use of equalizer bars, both at no load and at full load. Moreover, with the present arrangement the helper springs 56 do not cut in abruptly or cut out abruptly with the resultant undesirable jerks. Instead, the free supporting length of the helper springs decreases gradually and without abruptness due to the curved portions The particular method of translating the journal box movement to deflection of the helper springs 56, illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, may take several other forms, as will be discussed in connection with the modification of Fig. 11 of the drawings. Moreover, with the above arrangement, as will become apparent from the following description, there is no possibility of a resonant condition by virtue of the truck frame 15 being disposed between two spring systems. The springs, such as the coil springs 30, although relatively long, are not likely to buckle because of the substantially vertical guidance of the journal box 23 by virtue of the pivotal arms or levers 42. The softness of the springs 30 and 31 which is thus permitted eliminates the requirement of bolster springs, and consequently the resonance possibility referred to above.

It will be appreciated that at very high speeds, a truck such as 15 may move sideways violently, and it is, of course, important to permit as little of this sideway motion to reach the car body itself as possible. The lateral motion limiting means including the levers 48 described above do a substantial restraining job. In accordance with the present invention, however, additional means are provided to reduce the force transmitted from the frame 15 to the truck bolster designated by the reference numeral 65, and best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The truck bolster 65 has its ends disposed within the recesses 16 defined in the side portions such as 15a of the truck frame 15. As is conventional, the truck bolster supports a suitable body bolster not shown in the drawings, which in turn is suitably connected to the passenger car body or other supported body. In accordance with the present invention, the truck bolster 65 is provided at each of its ends with a suitable recess 65a for receiving therein a thrust transmitting member 66 in the form of a hard rubber ball. For transmitting this thrust to the truck frame 15, there is provided a thrust transmitting member 67, including flanges 67a, which receive therebetween the section 15d of the truck frame 15. The upper end of this thrust transmitting member 67 is provided with a shallow recess 67b, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, to support therein the spherical hard rubber member 66. By thus supporting the truck bolster 65 on the hard rubber balls 66, a supporting construction greatly superior to the swing hangers heretofore used is provided. This is by virtue of the fact that the supporting balls 66 provide a very small resistance to moderate side sways. For less moderate side sways, the concave configuration of the recesses 65a and 67b tends to provide increased resistance as the magnitude of the side sways increases.

For the purpose of preventing the truck bolster 65 from twisting and to take care of forces in the longitudinal direction of the truck frame 15, there are provided a plurality of steel balls 69, four being associated with each end of the truck bolster 65. As best illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the truck bolster 65 has an exterior configuration that narrows slightly toward the top, and the side frame 15a is provided with bearing plates 70, one secured to the frame 15 on either side of the opening 16 adjacent the upper end thereof. The bolster 65 is provided near the top on either side thereof adjacent the plate 70 with an integral flange 65b defining a ball receiving recess 650 to receive therein one of the balls 69. These balls will transmit forces perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the truck bolster 65 from the bolster to the frame 15, or vice versa. Near .the bottom of the bolster 65, it is provided with extensions including inwardly directed flanges 65d having therein recesses 65a for supporting one of the steel balls 69. These steel balls are adapted to transmit forces between the bottom portion of the bolster and the thrust supporting member 67, as is clearly obvious from Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawings. The recesses 65c and 652 are somewhat elongated in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the truck bolster 65, and are of cupshaped-configuration so that, to some extent, they also tend to restrain lateral forces relative to the truck frame, which, of course, are forces in the longitudinal direction as far as the truck bolster 65 is concerned.

In view of the detailed description included above, the operation of the improved railway car truck will be readily understood by those skilled in the art and no further discussion is included herewith except to state that a pedestalless construction is provided with means for restraining and controlling lateral thrusts as well as longitudinal thrusts as far as the car truck is concerned. Since there are no springs between the truck bolster 65 and the truck 15, there is no possibility of a resonant condition occurring by virtue of the truck 15 being supported between two spring systems. A greatly improved ride at both no load and full load is insured with the present arrangement. Also, by virtue of the present invention, including the use of the pivot arms 42, shimmy and its undesirable after-effects is eliminated, and the requirement for regrinding treads can be extended over a much longer period of time. Furthermore, a comfortable ride is assured.

In Figs, 7 and .8 .of the drawings there is illustrated a modification of the present invention in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. The truck frame is there designated by the reference numeral 75, and it is provided with a suitable clevis arrangement 76 for pivotally receiving the pivot arm 42. The eye or ring portion 42a of the arm 42 is secured to the journal box 77 having the journal box cover 24. Instead of using the compression springs 30 and 31 which are disposed on either side of the journal box 23, as in Fig. l of the drawings, there is provided a single coiled spring 79 which transmits the force between the journal box 77 and the frame 75. As illustrated, the journal box 77 has integrally formed at the uper part thereof a spring retaining member 77a, and, similarly, within the hollow portion of the truck frame 75, in opposed relation to the retaining member 77a, is a spring retaining member a. The lateral thrust controlling and restraining member in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings is in some respects very similar to the arrangement disclosed in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As illustrated, a pivoted lever 80 is suitably mounted as by pivot pin 81 to an extension 75b of the frame 75. The upper end of this thrust transmitting lever 80 engages with a leaf spring 82 supported from the frame 75 in substantially the same manner as the spring 50 described in connection with Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. This spring 82 is a leaf spring having its ends supported by suitable means 83 and 84 secured to the frame 75. A suitable member 86 is secured to the central portion of the leaf spring 82 for transmitting the force from the lever 80 to the leaf spring 82. The lower end of the lever 80 is provided with the hollow recess 80a to receive therein the steel disk 54, identical with that designated by the same reference numeral in the preceding embodiment. Instead of being bifurcated and having two disks 54, as in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, the lever 81 has only a single lower extension 80b for receiving a single disk 54. A suitable stop 88 limits the maximum movement of the spring 82 relative to the frame 75.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings, a still different spring supporting arrangement is disclosed from that of the preceding embodiments. Instead of using the two supports 27 and 28 and the tension rods 32, as in Fig. 1 of the drawings, a pair of yokes 90 are associated with each corner of the truck frame 91. The center portion of these yokes 90 engages suitable recesses in the journal box 23. The remote ends of the yokes 90, which are illustrated as U-shaped, are provided with lateral extensions 90a to receive and support suitable spring retaining means 93, so that suitable compression springs 94 and 95, which may be identical with the springs 30 and 31, are interposed between these retaining means 93 and suitable spring retainers 96 secured to the underside of the truck frame 91 in the same manner as the spring retainers 37 described above. A helper spring 56, identical with that described above, is preferably included, and, as illustrated in Fig. 9, the force transmitted between the member 59 associated with the helper spring 56 and the journal box 23 is transmitted through a thrust member 97 in the form of a rubber column rather than the rigid steel column 61 heretofore described. As in the preceding embodiments, lateral forces are controlled by means of a suitable pivoted thrust transmitting lever 80 engaging with the leaf spring 82, suitably supported to the frame, as in the embodiment of Fig. 7. The pivoted arm 42 is secured to the frame 91 as by pivot pin 99 extending through a clevis 100 integral with the frame 91.

In Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. There the truck frame 101 is illustrated as being suported on a journal box 102 associated with wheels 18. The journal box 102 has integral lateral extensions 102a and l02b for supporting suitable compression springs 103 and 104 which engage the lower surface of the truck frame 101. Suitable interposed spring retainers .106 are disposed at the lower end of the springs 103 and 104. Thus, the

9 spring supporting arrangement is very similar to that of the embodiment of Fig. 8, except that two springs are provided, one on either side of the journal box. The

, lateral extension 102b of the journal box includes a further extension 104, which serves in the same fashion as the pivot arm 42 heretofore described, and is pivotally secured as indicated at 106 to a suitable extension 101a of the frame 101. As in the preceding embodiments, a suitable lateral thrust lever 108 is pivotally secured as by pivot pin 109 to the truck frame 101, and, as in Fig. 1, the lever 108 has the bifurcated lower portion, comprising bifurcations 108a and 108b, each of which suitably supports a steel disk 54 for engaging with the cover 110 of the journal box 102. The thrust lever 108 preferably includes a boss 1080 for engaging with the frame 101 to limit the maximum thrust of the journal box 102 in a direction toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 11 of the drawings. As is best shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings, suitable helper springs 112 may be provided within the truck frame 101, and force may be transmitted through a suitable steel ball 113 from the journal box 102 to the springs 112. As illustrated, the journal box 102 is provided at its upper end with a suitable recess 1020 to receive the ball 113, and, similarly, a suitable support 115, having a downwardly directed recess 115a, is associated with the spring 112. Thus, the ball 113 is suitably retained in a thrust transmitting position to render the helper springs 112 effective.

Instead of the leaf springs for receiving the thrust of the lever 108, there is provided in Figs. 10 and 11 a suitable rubber shear member 116 mounted in a suitable recess 117 in the frame 101. This shear member 116 is connected by a suitable thrust transmitting pin 118 with the lever 108. Obviously, a leaf spring arrangement, as described above, or a suitable tension or compression spring might equally well be employed.

While there have been illustrated and described several embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a railway truck including longitudinally spaced wheeled axles partially extending into journal boxes, a truck frame, first force transmitting means rockably supported from the top portion of said journal boxes, coil spring means interposed between said force transmitting means and said truck frame to support said truck frame from said journal boxes, second force transmitting means rockably supported from the top portion of said journal boxes, helper spring means secured to said frame and coacting with second force transmitting means to support said truck frame from said journal boxes, an arm for each journal box, means securing first ends of said arms to their associated journal boxes, and means pivotally relating second ends of said arms to said frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second transmitting means include journal box engaging portions aligned along transverse axes of the truck.

3. In a railway truck including a frame supported from spaced journal boxes; wheeled axles partially extending into said journal boxes; force transmitting means rockably supported from the top portion of said journal boxes, coil spring means interposed between said force transmitting means and said frame to support said frame from said journal boxes, second force transmitting means rockably supported from the top portion of said journal boxes, and helper spring means supported from said frame and coacting with said second force transmitting means to support said frame from said journal boxes, said first and second transmitting means having portions engaging the journal boxes substantially above said axles.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said second force transmitting means each comprise a resilient columnar member.

5. In a railway truck including longitudinally spaced wheeled axles partially extending into journal boxes, a truck frame, first force transmitting members supported from the top portion of saidv journal boxes over said axles, coil spring means interposed between said force transmitting means and said truck frame to support said truck frame from said journal boxes, second force transmitting means supported from the top portion of said journal boxes over said axles and laterally spaced on said journal boxes from said first transmitting means, helper spring means secured to said frame and coacting with said second force transmitting means to support said truck frame from said journal boxes, an arm for each journal box, means securing first ends of said arms to their associated journal boxes, and means pivotally relating the second ends of said arms to said frame.

6. In a railway truck including longitudinally spaced wheeled axles partially extending into journal boxes, a truck frame, spring means interposed between said journal boxes and said truck frame to support said truck frame from said journal boxes, an arm for each journal box, means securing first ends of said arms to their associated journal boxes, means pivotally relating second ends of said arms to said frame, a plurality of thrust levers pivotally supported on said frame adjacent each of said journal boxes to pivot laterally of said frame, means on each one of said thrust levers engageable with an outside surface of its associated journal box for transmitting lateral thrusts of said journal box to said frame, and biasing means positioned between said frame and said thrust lever for biasing said last mentioned means into engagement with said journal box, thereby to control lateral thrusts between said journal box and frame.

7. In a railway truck of the type including a frame member supported from journal box members which coact with longitudinally spaced wheeled axles; lateral thrust means associated with each journal box and each comprising a thrust lever pivotally supported from one of said members to pivot laterally of said frame members, resilient means positioned between and cooperatively related to an end of said thrust lever and one of said members, and bearing means positioned between and cooperatively related to the other end of said thrust lever and the other of said members to control lateral thrusts between said members.

8. In a railway truck of the type including a frame supported from journal boxes associated with longitudinally spaced wheeled axles; lateral thrust means associated with each journal box and each comprising a thrust lever pivotally supported intermediate its ends from the frame to pivot laterally of the frame, resilient means supported on said frame and coacting with one end of said thrust lever, and bearing means supported from the other end of said lever and coacting with an external portion of said journal box, said thrust lever, resilient means, and bearing means coacting to limit lateral thrusts between said frame and journal box.

9. In a railway truck including longitudinally spaced wheeled axles partially extending into journal boxes, a truck frame, spring means interposed between said journal boxes and said truck frame to support said truck frame from said journal boxes, an arm for each journal box, means securing first ends of said arms to their associated journal boxes, means pivotally relating second ends of said arms to said frame, a plurality of thrust levers pivotally supported on said frame adjacent each of said journal boxes to pivot laterally of said frame, means on each one of said thrust levers engageable with an outside surface of its associated journal box for transmitting lateral thrusts of said journal box to said frame, biasing means positioned between said frame and said thrust lever for biasing said last mentioned means into engagement 11 withsaid journal box, thereby tocontrol lateral thrusts between said journal box andtrame, and;longitudinal thrust means pivotally supported from said frame member-and fixedly secured to external portionsof said. journal box members to control longitudinal thrusts between said journal boxtmembers and said frame member.

References Cited in the file of. this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,639 Wilkinson et al Dec. 19, 1899 1,191,136 Muhlfield et al July 11, 1916 1,550,307 Elliott Aug. 18, 1925 1,793,338 Shannon Feb. 17, 1931 

